Marcel at Gramercy

Revamped in early 2008, this fashionable hotel has a hip aesthetic that extends from the lobby, with its marble concierge desk, sprawling leather banquette and in-house library, to the medium-sized rooms, which offer a sleek black and pewter palette, rain-head showers and Egyptian cotton linens. If you want to chill with a nightcap, retreat to the subterranean Polar lounge, an Arctic-themed nightspot with "ice" tables and private party "caves."